Child's Play (Part 8 of the series)
by Justright
Summary: What if the faith of the world rested on the fragile shoulders of an 8 years old boy.


1 Child's Play  
  
  
  
"I want it now, says the 8 year old boy, tapping the ground with his foot.  
  
The man he is talking to looks at him indulgently:  
  
"You know you always get what you want, don't be upset."  
  
The boy lifts an eyebrow and gives him a cockeyed look:  
  
"I'm still waiting."  
  
The man's lips expand in a joyless smile, and he says mostly to himself:  
  
"Joel you are perfect. In every way."  
  
The boy now taps the ground louder.  
  
"I said NOW."  
  
The man:  
  
"Here you go." And he materializes a little kitten and hands it to the boy.  
  
"Now try to keep that one a little longer."  
  
The boy:  
  
"What do you care?"  
  
The man just smiles again.  
  
It's a crowded morning at the Halliwell's estate. Although it doesn't happen that often, the girls all had their men stay home the night before, and the breakfast table is rather full and animated.  
  
Piper is a bit upset because ever since she got married, privacy has been a big problem and this morning is rather a good example of it:  
  
"Pass me the milk please," she asks Leo. But Paul reacts faster and hands it to her. She can't help but slightly grimace, even as she is thanking him.  
  
"Isn't it nice, all of us here right now," she says with a point of sarcasm that the others don't seem to notice.  
  
Prue, who is all smile this morning:  
  
"Yes really, she looks at Paul with a meaningful expression that probably have more to do with the previous night than the breakfast. He smiles at her in the same manner and Piper just looks away, dejected.  
  
In doing so, she becomes even more upset when she catches sight of Phoebe and Cole, who totally oblivious to the others, just hold hands on the table having eyes only for each other. She turns resolutely back to her husband. He smiles at her, knowing her so well, he understands how much she wishes to be alone with him. That has been the subject of discussion of the last three nights. Although not as much as Piper, he also has been thinking of some sort of vacation from this constant crowd. Which is why, when Paul announces that he has to go away for a few days, he has difficulties hiding his relief.  
  
Prue, on the other hand, gets upset at that:  
  
"You didn't tell me that yesterday?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"Sorry, it slipped my mind. I just got word yesterday of a little problem that needs my attention."  
  
Prue is a bit suspicious:  
  
"What kind of problem?"  
  
Paul smiles and says:  
  
"Don't worry I'll be good."  
  
Cole can't help but snicker a bit at that and Paul glares at him.  
  
Cole:  
  
"I didn't say anything."  
  
Piper interrupts the staring match:  
  
"Why don't you go with him Prue?"  
  
Prue:  
  
"Well a little vacation might be fun. And it wouldn't hurt that it would bring you one step closer to have the house to yourself," she says letting Piper know that she didn't fool her.  
  
Piper makes her a face but she's more mocking herself for being so transparent than upset at Prue.  
  
She admits:  
  
"Yes well, it's true that we didn't have much of a honeymoon now is it?"  
  
Leo seems a bit embarrassed and coughs discreetly.  
  
Piper:  
  
"What?"  
  
He doesn't really answer that.  
  
Paul ads:  
  
"Well I had not planned on bringing you along but I guess it might be fun."  
  
Prue grimaces at him.  
  
"So that's that. But first, where exactly are we going?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"Oh, just to Los Angeles. I'll have a short business to attend to, and then I'll be all yours hopefully."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"So does that mean that I should find another place to stay those next few days too?"  
  
Prue turns to Phoebe, thinking.  
  
"You know we might make Piper really happy here. I have a friend in Los Angeles who told me that if I wanted to, I could use her apartment while she's on vacation. Phoebe could come with us there and stay at the apartment."  
  
Cole:  
  
"Hey why not, a vacation might be just what the doctor will order."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Not again with that, I feel fine."  
  
Prue:  
  
"You're going to this appointment and that's the end of it.  
  
You've been tired all the time lately and that's not normal."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Alright if you're all going to gang up on me."  
  
Cole smiles at her, than he turns to Prue:  
  
"I'll make sure that she does."  
  
Phoebe pinches him a bit. He pretends that he didn't feel it.  
  
Prue turns to Piper:  
  
"See how things are all arranged now? You will have the house to yourself."  
  
She just slightly hesitates and ads:  
  
"To do whatever you want." She ads, teasing her.  
  
Piper pulls her tongue out at her, but she smiles also. Now she senses that she'll have this quality time that she was so hoping for.  
  
At the doctor's office that very afternoon, Cole is waiting patiently since, as promised, he saw her there. That was a good idea because when he had come to pick her up, she wasn't ready for it and most certainly would have skipped it.  
  
""Really, why do I have to go. I hate doctors and I'm not sick."  
  
Cole:  
  
"You're not well right now, and your sisters and me want to be sure that you didn't catch something."  
  
Phoebe sighing heavily:  
  
"You should trust me on that, I'm not sick."  
  
Cole:  
  
"Then, seeing the doctor won't be a problem," he had insisted.  
  
She couldn't find a crack in this logic and had reluctantly agreed to go.  
  
Now he was wondering if something might really be wrong with her.  
  
She had been really tired lately. Not as lively as usual. The last time that had happened, they had gone through a real ordeal.  
  
Finally, Phoebe comes out of the office and she seems a little puzzled.  
  
Cole:  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
Phoebe changes attitude right there and smiles at him joyously:  
  
"Like I told all of you, nothing is wrong."  
  
Cole, a little perplexed:  
  
"You looked a bit worried when you came out. Are you sure?"  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"He just said that I needed to have some good times and some vitamins."  
  
Cole smiles at that:  
  
"Then, I guess we're off to Los Angeles."  
  
She smiles:  
  
"We?"  
  
Cole:  
  
"You couldn't keep me away with a stick."  
  
She kisses him happily.  
  
The next day at the manor, Piper is rejoining her husband in the living room, and she suddenly feels the silence of the house. Even though she is the one who wanted it, the fact that her sisters are both gone makes her a little anxious.  
  
Leo notices the look on his wife's face:  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Piper hesitates:  
  
"I don't know. I should be happy that we have the house to ourselves but."  
  
Leo finishes for her:  
  
"But you're used to have them around now, and it's not the same."  
  
Piper smiles sweetly:  
  
"Yes, that's it. The last 3 years we practically always were together. I guess it feels like when you leave home and you have to be on your own. Plus the fact that there still might be troubles."  
  
Leo:  
  
"We got their numbers and Cole can bring them back really fast if necessary. It's not like they are out of reach."  
  
Piper:  
  
"I know. I'm just being stupid. Come on husband, lets put this time to good use," she smiles enticingly.  
  
He doesn't have to be asked twice.  
  
At a house in Los Angeles' suburb:  
  
Paul:  
  
"Are you sure that you can take care of him?"  
  
The man he is talking to looks to be in his thirties, with blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He harbors a tan that says he is an outdoor man.  
  
"I'm sure. Although he wasn't very cooperative. Are you sure that it's going to work?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"It has to. We couldn't let him with them. He is too important to lose. And who knows how much hurt he could have caused if they had succeeded."  
  
The man, whose name is Greg:  
  
"I'm not sure that they didn't already. It will be a long way back for the boy."  
  
Paul:  
  
"I'm counting on you. You have to help him. Do not hesitate to contact me if necessary. I make this a priority. If I thought that I could do it myself, I would. But he needs a more stable home."  
  
Greg:  
  
"Are you sure that they can't find him here?"  
  
Paul smiles reassuringly:  
  
"I guaranty it. They cannot find him. But he has to stay here. At least until we're sure that he is better."  
  
Greg:  
  
"Don't worry, we will keep him here and try our best."  
  
Paul looks toward the nice house one more time with a slightly worried expression, then he turns to Greg; on his face the man can't read anything anymore."  
  
They are walking down the street, holding hands like any other couple in love. He smiles looking at her, wondering how he could have gotten so lucky that she wanted him. This little trip has given them the illusion of a normal life. He could even forget all the troubles they were still in.  
  
She looks up at him and still his heart jumps, she is so beautiful and she loves him.  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Where do you want to go?"  
  
Cole:  
  
"It doesn't matter, but aren't you tired now?  
  
We might just sit here and admire the view."  
  
Phoebe smiles:  
  
"No, it's ok. I told you, I'm just fine."  
  
She turns away from him and the smile is replaced by a somber expression. She can't tell him that something is the matter. Not now, it's not the time yet."  
  
Then, she shakes her head like if that would make all the troubles go away. And hardly enough, she manages to push the worries aside for now.  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Ok let's eat something, I'm famished."  
  
At the house in the suburb, Greg is just coming back home and finds the place silent. When his wife doesn't answer his greetings, an uneasy feeling crawls its way inside him.  
  
He walks cautiously, for some reason expecting trouble.  
  
However, when he enters the living room, he realizes that trouble has really found them. His wife lies on the floor unconscious, and he kneels besides her, trying to revive her. She has a large bruise on her forehead and she just moans but doesn't wake up. He has the presence of mind to call 911 and when he hangs up, suddenly remembers:  
  
"Joel."  
  
Frantically he searches the house, but of Joel, he finds no trace.  
  
At the hotel, Paul meets Prue in the lobby. He called ahead assuring her that his business was all done.  
  
Prue:  
  
"So now we can have some fun. That was quick?"  
  
She smiles happily. She hasn't had a vacation in some times and that is really nice to put the witchy stuff aside for a little while. And it doesn't hurt that she is so happy with him. A little voice in the back of her mind is whispering to her: how can you feel like that about him. You know next to nothing of him. That's not like you to enter a relationship blindly. But once again, she silences the little voice as she has been doing for the last few weeks, since she's met him in fact. She feels too good to care.  
  
"So where do we go?"  
  
Paul is all smiles:  
  
"I made reservations for dinner. Are you ready to go?"  
  
Prue smiles back:  
  
"As ready as I can be."  
  
Prue and Paul head out.  
  
The moment they passed the hotel doors, the phone rings, and an employee writes down a message. It's addressed to Paul Mackail and marked urgent.  
  
There is of course no answer when they call his room.  
  
It's well passed midnight when they return and it never occurs to him to ask for his messages. In the room they do not pay attention to the little light blinking on the phone.  
  
At the manor, the house is so quiet that Piper wakes up with a start wondering if something happened. Then she realizes that no. It's just the unusual quiet that woke her up weirdly enough. Leo is still asleep. They got lucky. No call from the Elders since yesterday. She really hopes their luck will keep. He wakes up and smiles at her. He, on the other hand, really does appreciate the quiet. Not to have to worry about taking a shower and finding one or another sister when he comes out. He loves them all as sisters himself, but frankly who would want to live with their family forever.  
  
He pulls her to him and kisses her. She seems a little reticent.  
  
"What?"  
  
Piper laughs a little:  
  
"Sorry, I'm so used to them knocking at the door at the most inopportune moment."  
  
Leo smiles, amused:  
  
"Not today."  
  
Piper relaxes a bit:  
  
"You're right. It is bliss." But Leo can see that it's far from being out of the way.  
  
"Come on. Tell me."  
  
Piper:  
  
"What would I do if we lived apart from them. I make such a terrible wife that I impose my family on you, I know that. But I still need them."  
  
Leo:  
  
"It goes with the territory. You depend on each other. I understand that. But now, would you please forget about it. Only for a few hours."  
  
Piper kisses him and she puts her sisters right out of mind.  
  
Phoebe opens her eyes and smiles. He is still asleep, his hair tousled, looking vulnerable. She doesn't want to think of what's to come, just enjoy the moment, this day. Right now, she's blissfully happy and to hell with the rest. She kisses him and he responds immediately, as if he had been waiting for her. Even in his dreams.  
  
Prue walks out of the bedroom and she sees the light still blinking.  
  
She pushes the button to listen to the recording.  
  
"Mr. Mackail you have an urgent message at the desk."  
  
Prue frowns, wondering how long it's been. She remembers they were so caught up with each other last night that they might not have checked.  
  
She goes back to the bedroom to find him already up and putting his clothes on.  
  
"Paul there is an urgent message for you."  
  
Right away he tenses:  
  
"Did it say from whom?"  
  
Prue senses that something is amiss:  
  
"No just that you have a message."  
  
She barely has time to finish the phrase before he goes to the phone. He nervously punches the numbers. She doesn't remember seeing him that worried.  
  
"Paul Mackail here. You have a message for me?"  
  
The moment they told him what it was, he picks up his jacket and goes toward the door, forgetting altogether about her.  
  
She calls him:  
  
"Hey what's the matter?"  
  
He turns back as if just now remembering that she's still there.  
  
"Sorry I have to go."  
  
Without another word, he opens the door.  
  
Prue:  
  
"Now wait a minute."  
  
But he is already gone.  
  
Prue is left wondering, looking between the door and the phone. Maybe now, she wishes that she knew more about her man.  
  
Paul arrives at the suburb house with a terrible sense of foreboding. How could he have been so mistaken? His spells didn't use to fail. Yet it was the second time in the last month that he had been thwarted.  
  
Greg answers the door and shows him brusquely inside.  
  
"You promised us that they would not find us. Now my wife is in a coma and the boy has disappeared."  
  
Paul is still very puzzled:  
  
"I don't understand. They should not have been able to."  
  
Then he thinks:  
  
"Unless."  
  
Greg:  
  
"Unless what?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"Unless Joel told them."  
  
That thought is so disturbing that he grimaces and stays silent for a moment.  
  
"I was so sure that he understood. But maybe I underestimated their hold on him."  
  
It's only been 6 months. They shouldn't have been able to turn him so fast."  
  
Greg:  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"I'll get him back and find another way to hide him, that's all.  
  
I'm sorry about your wife, I swear I never thought any harm would come to you, or her."  
  
Greg:  
  
"I'm sure you are," he says, but he can't help the anger to show still.  
  
Paul is standing in front of an apartment building, looking up pensively.  
  
"Are they going to continue their little scheme? Or did they kill him already in retaliation?"  
  
Paul forces himself to think positive. "It's not too late," he tells himself, "I can still save him." He resolutely walks toward the entrance.  
  
In front of one of the apartments, he stops, listening.  
  
Inside he hears animated talk and he sighs in relief at hearing Joel's voice.  
  
"You didn't have to hurt her," Joel says.  
  
The man laughs:  
  
"You called us, remember? You knew what we are."  
  
Joel, almost pleading:  
  
"I just wanted to get away from them. They had too many rules. I like it here."  
  
The man:  
  
"Then you will have to learn our ways."  
  
Paul doesn't need to hear more, he closes his eyes and gestures in front of him conjuring a protection spell.  
  
Then he kicks the door down and enters resolutely in the apartment, not losing time, he picks the boy by the collar.  
  
The man, all clothed in black, looks at him, dumbfounded. Then he realizes who he is and anger replaces surprise on his face.  
  
"That was you! The boy is ours, leave him alone!"  
  
Paul is not impressed:  
  
"I'll decide where the boy goes, Solomon."  
  
Solomon lifts his hand and sends a lightning bolt in the direction of the wizard, but it just reflects back to him and he barely has time to duck.  
  
Paul doesn't wait for another attack and he moves rapidly out of the apartment. He mutters something under his breath and both of them disappear. The warlock runs out behind them just as they do and he screams in frustration.  
  
A woman, alerted by the commotion, comes out of the apartment's bedroom and looks around the place in surprise.  
  
She asks Solomon:  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Solomon answers with an edge:  
  
"The wizard has taken him again."  
  
A profound rage and some fear are now showing on the woman's face.  
  
"We can't let that happen. They will kill us if we fail."  
  
Solomon, irritated:  
  
"Don't you think I know that? We've got to find him."  
  
He suddenly smiles.  
  
"But I already have an idea how."  
  
In a corner of the hotel lobby, the two warlocks blink in.  
  
The woman:  
  
"Are you sure that's the place?"  
  
Solomon:  
  
"I saw his name beside the phone number at the house where they were keeping him. I had the idea it could be useful and memorized it. Now, we'll get the boy and kill that wizard."  
  
The woman is dubious:  
  
"And how are we going to do that?"  
  
Solomon dismisses her worries:  
  
"We'll find a way. We can't let him interfere with our plan."  
  
He starts walking confidently toward the desk:  
  
"Mr. Mackail please." He asks, almost pleasantly.  
  
The employee looks up the name:  
  
"Yes we have someone by that name in room 320, but he is not here right now. Would you care to leave him a message?"  
  
Solomon smiles and says:  
  
"No don't worry, we'll come back later."  
  
They pretend to go out, but as soon as they are out of sight, they blink.  
  
Prue is talking to Phoebe on the phone:  
  
"Hey how is the apartment?"  
  
Phoebe, joyously:  
  
"Beautiful, it's really great. I needed that vacation.  
  
And how is your boyfriend?"  
  
Prue hesitates, unsure if she should put a damper on her sister's happiness.  
  
"Well he had to go early this morning, I'm still waiting for him to come back."  
  
Phoebe notices something in her sister's voice:  
  
"Is there something the matter?"  
  
Prue:  
  
"No don't worry," she lies. "I'm sure that it's just his little business again."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"He didn't tell you?"  
  
Prue:  
  
"Well you know how much he dislikes to talk about his stuff."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"I know, and frankly sometimes it makes me uncomfortable. I mean, we know that he is not exactly all white."  
  
Prue:  
  
"Please Phoebe, I can't take that from you."  
  
Phoebe is a little hurt:  
  
"You know what I mean. At least we know where we stand, with Cole. Paul swims in murkier waters than this."  
  
Prue stops her:  
  
"Phoebe let's agree not to talk about that ok?  
  
Paul is my business and I'll deal with him myself."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Ok," she says, resigned. "I'm just worried about you that's all."  
  
Prue, a little too harshly:  
  
"I can take care of myself thank you."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Let's drop this. Did you want to get together today?"  
  
Prue:  
  
"I'll have to see with Paul when he comes back. I'll let you know."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Ok, bye now."  
  
She hangs up.  
  
The warlocks blink in front of room 320. They knock at the door, not expecting any answer. So that when Prue opens the door they are slightly taken aback.  
  
Prue:  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Solomon finding his voice:  
  
"We expected to find Mr. Mackail here."  
  
Prue:  
  
"I don't know when he will be back. Give me your names and I'll tell him to call you." She turns back, intent on getting a piece of paper and a pencil, but she doesn't have time to take 2 steps before the warlock hits her head hard from behind, and she falls to the floor, unconscious."  
  
Solomon turns to the other warlock:  
  
"See my dear, I think that we might have found a crack in our wizard's armor."  
  
The woman smiles at this.  
  
They go to the phone table, and write down a message before picking Prue up and blinking out.  
  
Paul materialized a little way from the hotel, and now he is dragging the boy with him.  
  
Joel:  
  
"Let me go! I want to go back."  
  
Paul just looks at him calmly:  
  
"You know perfectly well that I can't do that. I told you the last time."  
  
Joel:  
  
"I don't want to live with those boring people."  
  
Paul:  
  
"Don't worry, you're not going back there. You've caused them enough hurt as it is."  
  
A cloud passes over the boy's face, and Paul is surprised. He seems to genuinely care:  
  
Joel:  
  
"Is she ok?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"Not really, they put her in a coma."  
  
But the boy quickly changes attitude again:  
  
"She shouldn't have tried to stop me. I wanted to go back with them."  
  
Paul:  
  
"What possible reason would you have to want to be with those monsters?"  
  
Joel obstinately:  
  
"They were nice to me. They really wanted me."  
  
Paul thinks that he finally understands. The boy has been in an orphanage for the last 4 years. He can't even remember his own parents. He regrets that he didn't know about him until recently. All this mess might have been avoided.  
  
He tries to reason with the boy:  
  
"You have to trust me on this; these people didn't have your best interests at heart. They just wanted to use you."  
  
Joel:  
  
"I don't believe you. They gave me all I wanted."  
  
The boy's attitude irritates Paul:  
  
"You're only 8 years old and you don't even know what you are.  
  
At least let me try to explain it to you before you go running off again."  
  
Joel's curiosity is aroused, and he looks questioningly at Paul.  
  
Paul:  
  
"Not now, we still have to make sure that they won't find you. Then I'll tell you everything if that's what it takes."  
  
At the manor:  
  
The phone rings and Piper hurries to pick it up. She still expects her sisters to call and tell her that they are in trouble.  
  
But at the other end it's Phoebe's doctor, who simply wants to give her some results.  
  
Piper:  
  
"Is there something wrong?'  
  
The doctor is reassuring:  
  
"Not at all, just some follow up. But I would prefer to talk to her directly, as she insisted upon."  
  
Piper promises to give her the message and hangs up with a pensive look.  
  
In spite of the doctor's reassurances, she can't help but wonder why he called her for results. "Normally when nothing is wrong the doctors do not call back now do they," she asks herself? But then she dismisses it, thinking that Phoebe will let her know if something is wrong. Hopefully.  
  
Paul and Joel are entering the hotel room and Paul calls for Prue when he doesn't see her there.  
  
For a moment, when she doesn't answer, he thinks that she might have gone to her sister's and is about to call when he catches sight of the note.  
  
His jaw drops. He cannot believe they found him so fast. Incredulous, he goes to the bedroom, not expecting but hoping that they lied. Of course, she's nowhere to be found. Still unsure, he picks up the phone to call Phoebe.  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Hello?"  
  
Paul doesn't lose time in amenities:  
  
"Is your sister with you," he asks anxiously?  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"No, she is waiting for you in the hotel room. I talked to her not 20 minutes ago.  
  
Paul looks at the boy with some indecision:  
  
When he doesn't talk anymore, Phoebe asks, a little worried:  
  
"What's the matter. Where are you?"  
  
Paul finally replies:  
  
"I'm in the hotel room and." he hesitates again.  
  
Phoebe, who is becoming increasingly tense:  
  
"And?"  
  
Paul blurts it:  
  
"I have to believe that your sister was kidnapped."  
  
Now Phoebe can't help screaming:  
  
"WHAT? By whom? Why?"  
  
Paul waits for her to give him a chance to answer then:  
  
"Warlocks, but I prefer to explain this to you in person.  
  
Wait for me."  
  
Phoebe is impatient:  
  
"Explain yourself."  
  
Paul:  
  
"Not on the phone. I'll be there shortly."  
  
Then he hangs up before Phoebe can argue again.  
  
Phoebe looks at the phone, still in shock.  
  
Cole comes to her when he notices her expression:  
  
"What is happening?"  
  
She turns to him and fear has replaced shock now:  
  
"Paul says that warlocks have kidnapped Prue.  
  
But he didn't tell how that happened."  
  
Cole is ready to move:  
  
"What should we do?"  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"He said to wait for him." She is almost in tears.  
  
"What if something already happened to her?"  
  
Cole:  
  
"I'm sure that we will find her," he says to reassure her.  
  
Then seeing her distress he takes her in his arms.  
  
"Don't worry."  
  
Phoebe, stepping back:  
  
"How can you say that?"  
  
Cole:  
  
"Sorry."  
  
Then she returns to him.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I'm just so afraid."  
  
Cole:  
  
"I know."  
  
In an abandoned building of the industrial district:  
  
Solomon:  
  
"Did I make a mistake in thinking he cares about that one," he says, pointing at a still unconscious and bound Prue.  
  
The woman:  
  
"Let's give him some more time. Maybe the boy kept him somehow. You know how he is."  
  
Solomon can't help a little smile:  
  
"Yes, he is a handful. Maybe the wizard will be happy to get rid of Joel after a little while with him."  
  
The woman:  
  
"We should not be counting on that. What do you have in mind for the exchange?"  
  
Solomon:  
  
"Who's ever said there would be any?"  
  
The woman smiles too.  
  
At the apartment, Paul just arrived and Phoebe is looking at his companion in surprise:  
  
"Who's that? Did you also hide that you had a kid?"  
  
Paul annoyed:  
  
"He's not mine. But he is the reason for your sister's predicament."  
  
Phoebe and Cole stare at him, uncomprehending.  
  
Cole:  
  
"What does a kid have to do with this?"  
  
But instead of answering the question, Paul turns to the boy:  
  
"Would you like to watch some TV while we're talking?"  
  
The boy is not very enthusiast about it, but he goes to the living room nevertheless.  
  
Paul starts talking then, making sure that he keeps an eye on the boy:  
  
"The warlocks want him in exchange for Prue."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Why?" She asks, her confusion deepening.  
  
Paul sighs and continues:  
  
"It's a bit long, but I guess you need to know.  
  
The boy is special. He is of the same kind as me."  
  
That picks up both Phoebe and Cole's interest right there.  
  
"He became an orphan four years ago, and I didn't know of his existence then because if I had, none of this would have happened. Unfortunately, those warlocks found out whom he really was, I don't know how, so don't ask.  
  
Phoebe, impatient:  
  
"But what does it have to do with Prue?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"Let me finish please."  
  
Phoebe falls silent again.  
  
Paul:  
  
"Six months ago, they went and took him away from the orphanage intent on obviously raising him evil. That has never happened before. Wizards are usually put in well-protected families, but this time, it didn't work.  
  
I'm not sure how but they gained his trust. If a wizard was turned to evil and shared the information with say, the Source, all the arcane knowledge that we get from heredity would fall into his hand, and it might mean the end of everything good in this world."  
  
Cole is about to interrupt the lengthy explanation, but Paul raises his hand in protest:  
  
"Now the other day, the little business I was talking about.  
  
Well I managed to take the boy away from them surreptitiously, and I had found a man witch willing to raise him for me. But apparently, the boy had other ideas. He called them. They hurt Greg's wife and took him back.  
  
Of course, I had to take him away from them again, but this time they knew who I was and they found out where I was staying."  
  
Phoebe now understands most of what must have happened next, and stops him:  
  
"Ok. But what are we going to do to get her back?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"That's my problem, you see. The boy cannot return with them, and I don't want to risk him even being there."  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"But Prue."  
  
Paul:  
  
"We have to find another way."  
  
Cole:  
  
"What about the boy? Does he know what he is?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"Not yet, but the knowledge will be imparted on him any time now. That is how I knew of his existence. It could happen at any moment.  
  
All the while that he was talking, Paul had been watching the kid, who seemed only interested in the television set. But just then, the boy turned to him, and on his face he could see that something had changed. A strange smile has appeared. Paul was confused by his sudden change of attitude and about to go to him, when the boy started muttering something under his breath. Paul just figured out what was happening but it was too late, and the boy disappeared.  
  
Paul:  
  
"Oh no!"  
  
Cole and Phoebe are floored when they see the look of dismay on Paul's face.  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"What?"  
  
Paul takes a moment before answering:  
  
"I'm afraid things just got worse."  
  
Cole just says:  
  
"He knows."  
  
Paul answers cryptically:  
  
"Yes."  
  
Cole:  
  
"But why did he go?"  
  
Paul:  
  
"Like I said, I'm afraid I underestimated his loyalty to the warlocks.  
  
Call your sister now.  
  
Even with all of us, it might not even be enough. And your sister might not live long enough for us to save her."  
  
In the abandoned building, Prue is just coming to.  
  
She has trouble focussing still, but she understands something is terribly wrong. The last thing that she remembers is seeing two people at the door and then everything went dark. Now bound on a chair, she looks around and spots one of them in front of her. She starts tking her bounds hoping to make a run for it.  
  
He apparently hasn't noticed that she is awake, and she hopes it will stay that way long enough.  
  
The moment she is free, she tries to stand up, always watching the man in front of her. She is almost there, when a strong arm comes from behind her and pushes her down. She doesn't hesitate and tk the one behind her, then she turns toward the man who has blinked and reappeared right by her, confirming to Prue that those are warlocks, but not fast enough to save her. The man hits her across the face and sends her a few feet away, where she falls hard. The pain in her arm and face is blinding. Still, she knows that her life depends on her quick reaction, and she is getting back up to attack again, when suddenly she feels stuck in place, held by an invisible force.  
  
She now sees a young boy of about 8 years old with his arm extended toward her. He apparently is holding her magically and she cannot even astral out. The boy, still holding her, turns to the warlock.  
  
"Ok I'm here now. I don't mind staying with you, but you have to let her go."  
  
Prue doesn't understand what is happening. The boy turns to her:  
  
"I will let go but you cannot start fighting again or it's going to get worse."  
  
The grip on her is released and she falls to the floor.  
  
The warlock tries to push Joel away to get to her, but Joel won't let him by.  
  
"You have to promise me to let her go or I won't stay. But I won't let them hurt you."  
  
Before the warlock can make up his mind on this, THEM arrive all at once. They run toward Prue. Paul stands in front of the boy:  
  
"Why did you come here?  
  
You know that you can't stay with them."  
  
Joel:  
  
"It is my choice. They took care of me. They gave me all I wanted."  
  
Paul insists:  
  
"They are evil, you know that you can't be with them. You know the consequences."  
  
The boy stubbornly:  
  
"I won't let you hurt them."  
  
The woman warlock is coming to now and, seeing all of those people in the room, she attacks immediately.  
  
She throws a fireball toward Prue, who tks it just in time away from them. She then proceeds to tk the other warlock away.  
  
But to her surprise, it doesn't work. The warlock smiles and starts advancing on them.  
  
Joel:  
  
"No!"  
  
Paul is trying again to reason with the boy.  
  
"Please, understand. They are only using you. They want what you know to kill all the witches. You can't be that far gone that you would want that. Let your memories tell you what to do."  
  
The boy seems to hesitate.  
  
Meanwhile, the warlock is still advancing purposefully, preparing to use his magic in turn. The boy looks from him to them, still unsure, then he lowers his hand effectively removing the protection to the warlocks.  
  
The girls go to Prue and together they immediately start on the vanquishing spell:  
  
1.1 "By two came this evil way  
  
Together now we thee castaway  
  
May our world be rid of you  
  
By our words may it be true."  
  
  
  
The warlocks are immediately consumed in flames, while the boy can't look their way. Paul approaches him slowly.  
  
"You did the right thing."  
  
Still a child with all his knowledge, Joel goes to him crying.  
  
The vacations have been cut short. Everyone is back at the manor and Piper can't help but think that in the end it might be better this way.  
  
Joel has come back to San Francisco with them and is staying at the manor until Paul can find him a suitable home.  
  
For all he has been through during the last few days and even months, he seems to recuperate nicely. The only thing is that he still is very demanding, telling the adults that he has been spoiled rotten by those warlocks:  
  
"I want to eat now," he says to Prue, who looks at him a little put off.  
  
Prue:  
  
"You will eat at the same time as everybody else."  
  
Joel:  
  
"I will eat now, I said."  
  
Prue to Paul:  
  
"What kind of a little monster did you bring us?"  
  
Paul smiles a bit, indulgently:  
  
"Come on, give him some time."  
  
Cole:  
  
"Well for my part, I'm going to leave here before my old habits return. That kid is worst of a demon than I ever was."  
  
Phoebe seems oddly upset to hear that.  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"You don't like kids?"  
  
Cole:  
  
"That's an odd question, it never occurred to me that I should."  
  
He is just totally confounded when she storms out of the room at this.  
  
Cole turns to Prue:  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Prue, who is just as puzzled:  
  
"Don't ask me. I never knew that she was so intense about kids."  
  
Paul looks at both of them with an air to say there is no blinder than the one who doesn't want to see.  
  
"Maybe you should go and ask her?"  
  
Cole is puzzled, but thinks that it's a good idea.  
  
Phoebe has gone to her bedroom, unsure if she should cry or scream. The news took her by surprise, even though the doctor had said it might be. Still she never expected it. They had been careful, but there was that time under the spell.  
  
What were the odds?  
  
Cole knocks on the open door to get her attention and she turns to him, still very upset.  
  
"Ok will you tell me what is happening?"  
  
Instead of answering, she starts crying and sits on the bed. That makes Cole move toward her very upset himself now.  
  
"Hey you're scaring me. What is it?"  
  
She looks up at him and just says:  
  
"You will be angry if I tell you."  
  
Cole:  
  
"I can't get angry with you, come on."  
  
Phoebe sighs and still hesitates, then she blurts it out:  
  
"What would you say if I told you that we're going to have a baby?  
  
At first, he just looks at her as if he didn't understand what she just said.  
  
"What? How?"  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"Well the usual way I guess."  
  
Cole:  
  
"You know that's not what I meant."  
  
Phoebe sighs again then:  
  
"Remember the spell we were under a couple months ago. We didn't really think of precautions then."  
  
Cole:  
  
"Oh!"  
  
Phoebe:  
  
"So are you angry with me?"  
  
Cole smiles suddenly:  
  
"Are you kidding?"  
  
Phoebe still unsure:  
  
"No."  
  
He takes her in his arms and says:  
  
"It's wonderful."  
  
Phoebe finally relaxes, puts her head against his chest and thinks, smiling:  
  
"Maybe we can overcome anything, after all."  
  
Story by Christine Lemieux/ Justright 


End file.
